What I like about you
by Mahalia Gaunt
Summary: Remus was terrified. What did he like? Why did it matter what he liked? Why did he have to write an essay about it? Puppy fluff.
1. Chapter 1

YAY puppy fluff. My **Do Over** fans, please understand that I'm full of fluff and it's difficult to write a dark romantic drama when you're brimming with cotton balls. So I have to get it all out.

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Remus was terrified. What did he like? Why did it matter what he liked? Why did he have to write an essay about it?

_Describe, in 500 words or less, the things that you like most about the world that have nothing to do with magic. _

What did he like? He liked Sirius. He liked the way Sirius' hair stood up in the morning. He liked the smell of Sirius' date cologne, and the smell of him without it. He liked the color of Sirius' eyes- slate grey with silver shooting through. He liked it when Sirius looked at him. He liked the way Sirius' voice sounded before breakfast. He liked the way Sirius rubbed his nose when he was tired. He liked the way Sirius licked his lips when he was thinking. He liked the way Sirius laughed at James' bad jokes. He liked Sirius' smile. He liked everything about Sirius.

But he couldn't exactly put that in his Muggle Studies essay.

Well, he could, but since Sirius was _in _his Muggle Studies class and they had to read their essays aloud, it might be a little awkward.

It was the first time in his life that he hadn't had an essay finished at least four days before it was due. It was Sunday; class was Thursday afternoon. If the rest of the Marauders thought it odd that he was joining them in the library to write instead of to help, then they didn't say anything.

James chewed on the end of his quill. "I like…Hmm. I like Lily."

Sirius smacked him on the back of the head. "You can't say that, wank, she already hates you enough."

James rubbed his tender skull, scowling. "What are you going to write about, then?"

Sirius gave a small smile. "It's a surprise."

James frowned.

Sirius grinned.

James pouted.

Sirius chuckled.

"No fair," James muttered, turning back to his scroll.

Remus stared at his own paper. Things he liked that didn't have anything to do with magic or Sirius. That didn't leave very much in the world.

He looked down at his hands. They were already stained with ink from the potions essay he had written that morning. His nails were small and ragged. He brought one finger up to his mouth. _I shouldn't chew them, _he thought. He did anyway. He scribbled on his parchment.

_I like people with nice hands._

He smiled. Sirius had nice hands. They were long and lean with shell like nails. Sirius wouldn't admit it, but he took pride in keeping them up.

Remus thought some more. _I like chocolate. _

_I like the smell of new books. _He took in a deep breath. _I like the smell of old books. _

He took a look outside at the trees, which were quickly losing their leaves.

_I like the way trees look in the fall. _

_I like big sweaters. _They looked cute on Sirius, even though he only wore them when they were alone.

He could feel the itching along his spine that meant the full moon was close. His senses were on the overload; only one more night.

_I like the quarter moon. _

_I like catching the first snowflake of the year on my tongue. _

_I like snagging the chair closest to the fire before anyone else. _Especially when Sirius would jump into it with him.

_I like jumping into the lake when it's hot outside. _He did his best not to imagine that day last summer when Sirius had torn off all his clothes and run screaming into the creek near Peter's house.

_What else… _

"And I like someone but I didn't want to talk about them in essay."

A quiet laugh went through the room. Professor Hemlock smiled. "Very good, Remus. Any more volunteers?"

Sirius' hand shot into the air.

"Go ahead, Mr. Black."

The dark haired boy stood and coughed delicately.

"I like the way his fingers are always ink-stained. I like the way he bites his nails when he concentrates. I like the way his eyebrows draw together when I do something stupid. I like the way he always knows what to do. I like the fact that he's really smart, but can be completely dense sometimes. I like that his eyes are the color of honey and his skin is the color of vanilla and his hair is the color of peanut brittle. I like the way his breath smells like chocolate because that's all he eats. I like the way he wiggles his nose when he smells something good. I like the way he denies it. I like the way he stretches in the morning. I like Remus."

Remus felt his jaw hit the floor.

"Actually," Sirius said, walking up to the frozen boy's desk and kneeling down to face him. "I love you."

"Oy, Moony!"

Remus awoke with a start. Sirius was grinning at him from the other end of the table.

He sighed. _I wish. _

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Preview of the next chapter? Yes please!

"Wormtail, your list is all food!"

"Well, food has nothing to do with magic."

"Fatass."

"Hey..."

"Watch your language, Sirius."

"Sorry."

"Do you think it'd be ok to put 'girls with red hair'?"

"Go for it. She hates you anyway."


	2. Chapter 2

Teehee. I'm back. It's short, but the end screams STOP HERE so this will probably have three chapters. It's a little angsty around the middle, but that happens.

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"I like to fly."

Sirius hit James again. "That has to do with magic, stupid!"

James growled. "Stop hitting me, you poof bastard!" And he hit Sirius back.

"Don't call me a poof!" Sirius socked James in the jaw.

James spat blood. "Oh, I'm sorry, _bi-sexual._ You're still poofish." He tackled Sirius to the floor with a snarl. Peter leaned down below the table to watch the scuffle.

Remus rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I know you're bored, but can we not fight in the library? Tomorrow's full moon; if I have to split you up, I'd probably break someone."

Both boys' heads popped up to look at him over the table. James' glasses were askew and his lip was bleeding; Sirius looked like he had a broken nose. Remus muttered a spell under his breath; the look on Sirius' face and his sharp intake of breath as it healed told him he had been right.

"Sorry, Moony," James said guiltily. "You've just gotten so good at hiding it."

James was right. After so many years of pretending, it wasn't nearly as hard to hide the strength, the heightening of senses, the all around _ferality _that came over him near the full moon. It was bad today; it would be even harder tonight. There would only be a sliver missing from the moon; he would be little more than an animal. His instincts would be out of control.

If he got into a fight, someone would die.

He also had a harder time around Sirius close to the full moon. His instincts wanted him to take a mate, but that wasn't exactly something he could do. When Sirius was Padfoot it was a lot easier; the wolf wasn't interested in crossing species. When they were human, however…

He pretended that everyone's presence bothered him as much as Sirius', so the Marauders made sure to keep themselves and everyone else distant. Remus was seated at the far end of the table; the other three were clustered at the opposite.

Remus gave a small cough. "Let's just try and get finished, ok? I'm getting cabin fever as well." Sunday was the boys designated study day, but they were usually out of the library by now.

James and Sirius sat back down at the table, argument forgotten. James didn't really care about Sirius' sexual preferences; he just liked to make him angry. They began discussing what James _could _put in his essay. Sirius still wouldn't tell them anything about his.

"Wormtail, your list is all food!"

"Well, food has nothing to do with magic."

"Fatass."

"Hey…"

"Watch your language, Sirius."

"Sorry."

"Do you think it'd be ok to put 'girl's with red hair'?"

"Go for it. She hates you anyway."

They finished quickly after that. James' list was mostly about Lily, and Peter's was mostly about food. Remus didn't try to help them; he was getting restless. He couldn't keep himself from watching Sirius talk and laugh across the table, his black hair falling rakishly into his sparkling eyes. _He's got to have an extra gland just for sex pheromones, _Remus thought.

He jumped up as soon as they were finished. "I'm going for a swim." Sirius made to go with him, but Remus shot him a look that put him back in his seat. He needed to be alone.

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"I wish Moony wasn't so touchy around the full moon," Sirius said, throwing himself down under the courtyard tree they had claimed for themselves in second year.

Peter drew a design in the dirt. "He can't really help it, though. I mean, he doesn't have a lot of control right now around humans. And _we _can't be animals all the time."

Sirius crossed his arms and gave a snort of disapproval.

"Padfoot," James said tentatively, pushing his glasses up his nose, "Did you ever think maybe it's just you?"

Sirius sat up, eyes burning. "What do you mean, _just me?_"

Peter put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "He's just being honest. Remus never seems to have a real problem with anyone else."

Sirius lost all his anger, sinking into himself. "Do you…do you think it's because the wolf doesn't trust me anymore…because of the Trick?"

The Trick. The stupidest, dumbest, worst mistake of his life. He still felt horrible about it, even though Remus had forgiven him and then some. Sirius had never meant for it to be anything other than a meaningless prank- now it was infamous.

Peter shot James a glance. "No, we don't think it's a Trick thing…we think it's a sex thing."

Sirius blinked. "Wait, what?"

James rolled his eyes. "Don't be dense. Moony's been dying to fuck you for years."


	3. Chapter 3

"I think he's catatonic."

"Well, you shouldn't have told him straight out like that. It's sort of a big deal!"

James rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He presses his face close to Sirius' ear. "Padfoot, if you snap out of it now you might get some hot gay werewolf lovin' tonight!"

Sirius launched off the grass, knocking James over in his mad dash towards the entrance of the courtyard- towards the lake.

"Where are you going?" Peter called after him.

"To find Moony!" And he disappeared from sight.

James looked askance at Peter. "Where the hell else would he go, dolt?"

Peter blushed. "I was just making sure. Those two need to hurry up with the whole love thing. It's boring watching them make goo-goo eyes at each other all day long."

James grunted in agreement. "No shit. I told Padfoot 'cause no one else was going to-especially not Moony."

Peter stood, stretching his short arms over his head. "We probably won't see them for a while. To the Quidditch pitch, Master Prongs?"

"That sounds like a pleasant idea, Master Wormtail."

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"Oy, Moony!"

Every nerve ending in Remus' body screamed. It had been so peaceful- the warmth of the sun on his skin as he floated on his back near the middle of the lake, the scent of the water all around him, the sound of waves lapping softly against his sides.

Of course Sirius couldn't leave him alone. Anyone else in the world wouldn't have bothered him. So of course it was Sirius.

He could smell him now. A sweet musk with touches of pomegranate (Sirius was such a girl when it came to shampoo) and white soap, and that scent that nearly made Remus swoon- the scent that was Sirius' alone. The closest thing Remus had ever been able to compare it to was the way oak trees smelled on a sunny day in late fall. And then there was the set of about a billion sex pheromones that he possessed. Remus could sense the wolf's interest pick up- he was getting aroused. _Damn it. Leave me alone, Padfoot. _

"Remus, if you don't come here then I'm coming to you!"

Remus' mood sank. Sirius wouldn't give up. "I'm coming," he called, flipping over and swimming quickly to shore. He hoped his over-sized shorts would be enough to hide the part of him that was…excited.

He pulled himself out of the lake, shaking water from his hair. "What?" he said gruffly.

"James said you like me."

Remus froze, a battle of emotions raging through him. Rage at James for revealing him, relief that he had. Fear of what Sirius would say. Hope of what Sirius would say.

"I... am attracted to you, yes," he admitted, running a hand through his damp hair. "It's not a big deal…"

Sirius crossed his arms. "But do you like me?"

_I love you. I love you more than anything in the world. _"I…I guess," he said quietly, not looking into the gray eyes that he cherished so dearly.

Sirius put a hand to his chin, lifting his face to look him in the eye. Remus stiffened at the touch. The wolf inside him howled, wanting nothing more than to…_Stop it stop it stop it. _

"That's cool."

"Really?"

"I like you too. But…that's not what James actually said."

"What…"

"That you wanted to shag me senseless, basically."

"Oh God."

"And I know right now you're a little beast-y, and you'd probably be all rough and stuff, and I don't usually bottom, but… I think it'd be pretty cool."

Remus couldn't control himself any longer. He pushed Sirius to the ground, a ferocious growl rising in his throat as he followed him down.

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"Shit, Padfoot, what happened to you?"

Sirius sat gingerly next to James, grinning from ear to ear.

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Nice shiner." Sirius' left eye was so swollen he could barely see out of it.

James pulled on Sirius' collar, looking inside his shirt. "Are those _bite marks?_ What happened to you?"

Sirius shifted slightly, wincing as he let out a chuckle. "Best night of my life."

Remus walked up, a wispy smile touching his lips. He sat down next to Sirius, who looked at him with unhidden affection. "You really should let me clean you up," Remus said, looking guiltily at Sirius' bruised face.

"Fine. But only 'cause I like to be pretty."

Remus tended to the injured young man as James groaned into his pancakes. "I'm going to have nightmares."

"No," Peter said, taking a sip of tea, "You'll never get any sleep because we'll have to live through the actual thing every night."

James let out a sob.

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"And I love someone very much but I'd prefer to keep them to myself," Remus said from his seat, still too weak to stand from his "sickness" of a few nights ago.

A quiet laugh went through the room. Professor Hemlock smiled. "Very good, Remus. Any more volunteers?"

Sirius' hand shot into the air.

"Go ahead, Mr. Black."

The dark haired boy stood and coughed delicately. "I did mine a little differently."

He went to the head of the first row, standing in front of Amelia Pierce. "I like the way Amelia wears her hair. It's very flattering for a heart shaped face."

"I like the way Connor performs the Woollongong Shimmy. He zigs well, and zags even better."

"Tonya, your eyeliner is amazing. You'll have to show me how to do that sometime, ok?"

He went to every person in the class, complimenting them on something.

"James, I like the way…Oh, that's right. I don't really like you."

"Hey…"

"Kidding. I like the way you're never afraid to tell the truth."

"Peter, I admire your sneaking abilities. I wish I was as stealthy as I've seen you be sometimes."

He ended with Remus, a grin on his face. _Please don't say you like the way I fuck you senseless, _Remus pleaded with his eyes.

"I like the way you fuck me senseless."

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**Fin. **


End file.
